Twisting The Dagger
by Darling.Little.Writer
Summary: She hurt him. Now he needs advice from a friend. AH, OneShot.


_"Em, I'm sorry. I can't come out. I'm sick. See you around, okay?"_ came a weak voice over the phone. I sighed and rubbed a hand over my head. I closed my eyes.

"I hope you get better, baby. See you later." I replied. I heard the click of the call disconnecting, and I snapped my phone shut. My girlfriend had been sick for so long.

My girlfriend. Guess I better introduce her. Rosalie Hale, the most gorgeous creature I had ever seen in the universe. She was tall, blonde, with a supermodel body and piercing blue eyes. She was irresistible, and I had wanted her since I had first seen her in seventh grade. She was one of those girls that everyone adored, that all the guys wanted and all the girls wanted to be. I was so surprised when she chose me, of all people.

Me, meaning Emmett Cullen. I'm the football quarterback for the school team, and, if I say so myself, I have huge muscles. They make many people intimidated. But the fact is, I'm a big freaking softie. In simple terms, I have brown hair and blue eyes. Just like my mother, Esme.

I have one brother and one sister, who are both twins. They are a year younger than I am, and both are content with their significant others. Edward has a beautiful girlfriend named Isabella Swan, also called Bella, who I love to tease and muck around with. But her beauty is nothing compared to Rosalie.

And Alice has Jasper Whitlock, who could be Rosalie's twin. Jazz is my age, but he and Alice are so totally in love that sometimes it makes me a little sick. But it's okay, even though it is my best friend and my sister. He won't hurt her, not as long as I'm still around.

I shook my head and walked out into the kitchen, seating myself down at the bench. I swept a hand through my unruly hair, a classic male Cullen gesture, just fidgeting with worry about Rosalie. She had been sick on and off for the past few months, and sometimes it would be so bad that her mother wouldn't let me over to see her. It was horrible, sitting here and thinking on the subject.

Knock, knock.

I snapped my head up and shifted until my feet hit the floor. I padded over to the door warily and opened it. A certain Southern oriented blonde stood on the doorstep with a grin on his face.

"Hey Jazz! Come in!" I boomed, for now back to my usual self. He saw right through it of course, as his grin diminished. He hurried inside and into the kitchen, where he made himself comfortable in one of the chairs.

"Em, what's up this time?" he asked me when I stopped in the doorway. He peered behind me. "Wait, is anybody here?"

I nodded. "Edward and Bella are listening to music up in his room, Carlisle is working in his office and Esme is with Alice, getting a makeover in the bathroom." I explained. Okay, so the whole family was here. Jazz contemplated it all for a moment. He stood up, eyes lighting up.

"Come. Into town. We'll talk there." he told me. I turned on my heel and went to the door. Outside, Jazz's bike stood, black and shiny and waiting for him. I gestured towards my Jeep and swung inside, starting it up and waiting until Jazz was in until I pulled out of the driveway.

We pulled up in front of a bar/cafe combination. I parked and just went inside, stomach still whirring with worry, tying itself into knots. I took a seat at the bar, immediately ordering a Vodka shot. The bartender eyed me and decided that I looked old enough, so he poured it and placed it down in front of me. I was just downing the drink as Jazz sat down beside me, with a disapproving look on his face.

"Rose says she's sick again, and she didn't sound well. She said she couldn't leave the house, and I'm so worried about her. I don't know what she has, but it stops me from seeing her. Sometimes when I call or write, she doesn't even answer. It's so horrible." I got out, before I was forced to get another shot. God, I was so whipped.

I saw Jazz grimace. "Man, stop drinking. Look, I'm sure she's okay. She could just be over-" he stopped as he looked over at the door. His eyes widened a little, so I decided I would see what was up. The sight made me numb.

Rosalie was walking in, smiling and laughing. She wasn't sick; not a little bit, not at all. She was perfectly healthy. She had her arm wrapped around the waist of another blonde. No, not a female. A 'family friend" that was coming down to visit this week. His name was Royce King, and he was a rich businessman.

I just stared as he led her over to a table at the cafe. I couldn't tear my eyes away from the two. She had lied to me. My eyes dropped down to her hand, which was normally occupied by a promise ring. It promised that I would always be hers. It was also gone.

I looked over at Royce, who was looking around. His eyes found mine, and recognition passed through them before he gave me a smirk. He knew who I was and what she meant to me, and now he was going to flaunt her around. Sitting down at a table, he made sure that he was facing my way, with Rosalie sitting next to him.

Oh, God, how long would I be able to withstand this torture?

I felt a nudge on my arm, and I looked over at Jasper. He had another of those lights in his eyes, meaning that he had an idea. Oh, crap.

"Man, you don't have to sit through this, you know. You can do something about it." he explained. I leaned in a little, and he shook his head. "Not here, dude. Come on, we'll go back to my place."

He gestured to the door as he slid off of his bar stool. I followed him, feeling a tingling in my stomach. I knew it wasn't from the alcohol I had just consumed; it was me feeling the pain of my loss.

Numb, I started the Jeep. My mind was occupied as I drove to Jazz's house. I couldn't feel, I couldn't think. Why had Rose lied to me? I loved her, so much, and she lied. I took a stab at the fact that it probably wasn't just this once, either.

Another nudge from Jazz's elbow in my side.

"Come on, dude. We're here." he muttered. Again, we both swung out of the Jeep. The front door of his house was locked, meaning that his parents weren't home. Good thing. Once inside, I made a beeline for the living room. A slung myself over the couch, sulking. Jazz sat himself in the armchair on the other side of the room and just looked at me, eyes filled with pity. I didn't want his pity, or anyone else's pity for that matter.

"Jasper, man, come on. Just freaking tell me how to get her back." I pleaded when I saw his look. I admit, I was a little tipsy after drinking like that, but it was understandable.

"You want to know the only way to keep somebody around?" he asked me, leaning forward in his chair. I nodded. He glanced at me solemnly, grimacing.

"I don't care what it is, Jazz. Tell me!"

"Man, this is something I don't understand, and I don't think I want to." I was already hooked. I needed this. "There is only one way that you're going to keep her, only one way a woman _ever_ wants a man."

I leaned forward, too, intrigued. Jasper obviously noticed, because he continued hastily.

"You have to break it." Okay, so now he was confusing me.

"Break what?"

He hesitated, looking at me uncertainly. When he saw my face, his will crumbled. "Break her heart."

I felt the breath being sucked out of me. I couldn't do that, not to my Rosie. She was my angel in the night, the light shining through the darkness. I could never hurt Rosalie like that.

"Dude! Em! Just listen, okay?" Jasper called out to me. I zoned back into the conversation, looking at him warily, but still listening. "It's the only way you'll ever keep her. Don't tell her she's the reason you live, and don't give her everything that you have to give. You have to break. Her. Heart." he told me. I looked down at the plush carpet underneath us. It was tense, silent. I didn't want to do it. I didn't. But I had to get my Rose back. I loved her, too much to let her go.

"How?" I whispered. Jazz looked, if it was possible, even more uncertain, but I let my face settle into a firm mask of resolve. He got up off of his seat and sat on the table in front of me.

"Man, this is going to hurt both of you real bad, but this is what you got to do..."

------

"How about Friday night?" I asked confidently. _Bull_, I told myself. I wasn't confident. I was asking a girl out for a faux date! I was freaking nervous, and pained as hell.

The brunette twirled a strand of her long, curly hair around her finger as she thought it over. She put a hand on my forearm, tracing over the lines of my muscles.

"I get off at seven. See you then, babe!" she whispered loudly, before turning on her heel and walking away, but only after she winked. When she turned the corner, I slumped at the bar, placing my head in my hands. I heard someone shift into the seat next to me.

"Man, Em, that was fast. Now, I'll get Ali to talk Rosalie to go on a double date with us. Bella Italia, right?" he asked. I looked up at him and nodded slowly. He jumped off of his seat and led me out of the bar for the second time that day.

He took me home, where I went through the front door with a wave over my shoulder and straight up to my private bathroom. I turned on the tap and splashed some water over my face before looking in the mirror.

I looked awful. My eyes were bloodshot and my cheekbones were sunken, my skin paler. I could see bags forming under my eyes; not from lack of sleep, but from worry. Well, maybe a combination of both from the past few weeks.

Friday was going to be the worst day of my life.

------

"Here's your food, sir, ma'am. Just call me if you need me!" the bouncy waitress, well, bounced away, back to the kitchen. The girl sitting across from me dug into her food like an animal; _disgusting_, I thought.

Meanwhile, I picked at my food, barely eating a thing. I was waiting to see if Jazz's plan worked. He had called me a few hours earlier to tell me that Rose had agreed to the double date. So far, they hadn't arrived at the restaurant.

But wait, there they were! They were walking in the door, Ali and Jazz first, hand in hand. I had to admit, my little sis looked beautiful. Her eyes found mine and she gave me a sad smile. So, Jazz had let her in on the plan. But my attention was taken when Rose walked in the door, Royce's arm around her waist.

She was stunning!

She was wearing a knee-length, crimson, halter-neck dress, with bright red pumps and purse to match. Her hair was styled in curls and there was a gauzy red shawl around her shoulders. I just gaped at her, mouth wide.

I watched as Jazz got their table, and not-so-discreetly slipped a bill into the hostess's hand, asking her for a table right near mine. My eyes followed them as they took their seats, table only a few feet away from mine. The blonde couple hadn't yet noticed me.

I took a deep breath. Here goes nothing!

I slid around the table until I was right next to the girl I was on the "date" with- I didn't even know her name. I slid an arm around her waist and nuzzled my face into her neck. She giggled and tried to bat me away.

I saw the nametag pinned the side of her dress, saying the name 'Jessica Stanley'.

"Jessie..." I purred, moving so my breath was tickling her face. She screeched, laughing at me. I pulled away, grinning, and I chanced a glance over at Rose's table.

The blonde in question, the one I loved more than anything, was open-mouthily staring at me. I dropped a wink her way, and she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and looking away. Royce was smirking. Oh, the bastard would pay for that. But later. Right now, I had a part to play.

------

Jazz laughed uproariously, clutching his stomach and tilting his head back. I chuckled, but without humour. I couldn't see anything amusing about the situation.

"You seriously told her that?" he gasped out. I nodded with a smile.

"Yep. Straight out, told her I had to go, my girl was waiting at home. Her expression was priceless!" this time I let myself have a bit of a laugh before slowing my momentum. Jazz soon slowed to a stop as well. He looked at me, suddenly with a serious look on his face. I don't understand how he does that; goes from amused to serious in the space of two seconds. It's a little creepy.

"Man, you have another date tomorrow. Get ready for some more fun!" he told me, finally cracking a smile. I tried to smile, but it probably came out as more of a grimace. _Great_.

------

That was how it went for the next few days: me getting dates, Alice and Jasper organising double-dates with Rose and Royce wherever I was going to be, me showing off with my date how "happy" was, and then just ditching the girl in question.

It was hurting, I knew, because when I saw Rose and Royce that day in the bar, I felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest, leaving a gaping hole. Every time I saw her, it got wider, more painful. Why was she doing this to me? I asked myself every day.

That changed one day when I was out by myself, having a relaxing day, when Rose stumbled into the bar. She sat down and ordered a few tequila shots, from what I could hear. She downed them in several seconds, and she ordered another three. I stared. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she had tears streaming down her face. I wanted to go over there, hug her, comfort her and tell her everything was going to be fine, but I knew I couldn't, so stayed seated. What the hell had happened to her?

I found out later that day.

"Emmy, she was so broken! She's never like this, she's always composed and introverted normally. But she just collapsed into my arms and spilled her heart to me." Alice's eyes were beginning to fill up with tears. I moved in and cuddled her, rubbing her back. When I pulled away, my little sis sniffled and rubbed her eyes.

"Ali, what happened to her?" I asked, concern lacing my voice. Alice looked up at me with the same look of uncertainty as Jasper had. I raised an eyebrow slowly, and she got the point.

"She admitted that she loved you, she always and always will. She said she can't stand to see you around all those other girls, and she can't stand being around Royce." Ali began. She sobbed. "Her mother forced her into it, Em! Her mother made her hurt you to go out with Royce!"

Wait, what?

"Her _mother_ did this to her? That cruel, heartless bitch! I'm going to go tear out her throat and force feed it back to her so she knows what she is putting her daughter through!" I snarled, starting for the door.

Alice wrapped a hand around my wrist and yanked me back with surprising force. I stumbled back onto the kitchen stool.

"Royce would never let her be. He was always there, threatening her and never leaving her alone to do what she wanted. If you want to hurt anyone, hurt him." she whispered, tears finally spilling over her eyelids. Oh, I was going to hurt him. He would pay.

------

I stood in a clearing, with nothing but the trees around me, the sky before me, and the scum below me. Royce was covered in blood, as was I. Not mine, of course. I had a split lip and would have a bit of a black eye in the morning, but his injuries were much worse. The blonde had several fractures and breaks in his arms and collarbone, his eyes would be swollen shut, he had lost some of his hair, and he was going to have a huge bite mark in his shoulder.

I had threatened him to tell the authorities, just so I could tell them why I did it, that he and Rose's mother had been harassing her. He had shut up after that.

I leaned down and gathered some of his precious blonde locks into my fist, pulling his head to meet my lips.

"Stay away from her." And with that, I slammed his head into the ground. I stood up, giving him a kick in the balls for good measure, and I left the forest. Alice and Jasper were waiting for me, in Ali's yellow Porsche. At the moment, she wasn't worried about the leather, but about me.

We bundled inside and I was taken home, where I washed myself and my clothes off. Jasper waited at the doorway. I looked at him.

"I don't understand this cruelty, Jazz. It's just not me. Can't you see what you've done, what I've become? I don't want to understand, but now I see." I told him, confusing the hell out of myself in the process. He grimaced and nodded, walking away. He gestured for me to go downstairs, and so I complied.

When I got downstairs, I was completely shocked. Rosalie was waiting for me, biting her lip to pieces with worry, wringing her hands in her lap as she sat down on the couch.

I cleared my throat and she jumped to her feet, startled. When she saw me, she froze. Her eyes stared intensely into mine, locking me in place.

Then she ran over and jumped into my arms, attacking my mouth with hers. I held her, tight, and I spun her around, kissing her back.

_I don't understand, but now I see._


End file.
